Page 43 of Bookish Boys Don't Date Social Girls
Her hand is warm and soft, and her grip is firm. Even though she’s just wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops, something about her strikes me as a professional woman. Maybe her posture or how she carries herself. I’m glad for Latisha that she has a strong woman in her life after everything she’s been through.
“Thanks for taking Latisha under your wing, like you have.”
I shake my head. “It’s nothing like that. I just can’t stand bullies. I hoped to find a bully-free zone for her.”
“That very next day after I met you,” Latisha says. “I told those boys to leave me alone. And they did! I just stood how you stood, and I said what you said, and they crawled away like theys was scared.”
“Were scared,” Brandy quietly corrects.
“Weres scared,” Latisha restates.
Brandy and I share a quick humor-filled glance before I turn an impressed expression on Latisha. “That’s fantastic, Latisha. I’m so happy to hear that.”
“Latisha hasn’t stopped talking about you since last week. You’re her hero.” Brandy runs her hand down the back of Latisha’s head. The gesture is so loving, I can’t help but like the womanmore.
“I’m glad to have made a difference for her. She’s the reason I’m here today, so she’s made a difference for me, too.”
We chat a little longer before Brandy tells Latisha it’s time to go. I watch them walk across the grass before I head in the opposite direction toward my car. All the while, my blood is buzzing. I’ve never made a difference like that before, and it feels pretty darn good.
Chapter Twenty
A coupleof weeks go by and I’m getting used to my new lifestyle of reading and volunteering and having less time with friends. It all makes me value the time we do spend together that much more. Tonight, Bek and I are meeting Ava and Dylan at Philly’s for dinner. Philly’s is a restaurant owned by the parents of some Oak Grove High students. They made a separate teen hang-out room at the back of their restaurant that a lot of students are happy to hang out in. Ava, Bek, and I used to come at least every Saturday night, but haven’t done so all summer.
I spy Ava and Dylan seated at the end of a long table and give them a thumbs-up as we wind our way through the throngs of fellow students. We wave at a few kids and call out greetings to others. It’s funny how it feels like we haven’t seen everyone for so long when it hasn’t even been two months since school got out. And knowing that we only have a month of summer left makes me both sad for the loss of my lazy summer days and excited for our senior year.
“How did you snag such a great spot?” I ask, as we settle into our chairs.
“Oh, there were kids here when we got here, but I scowled at them and they scrammed,” Dylan says.
I gawk at him. He has a reputation for being a tough guy, but he isn’t the type to actually intimidate anyone. “Really?”
Ava rolls her eyes. “They were done and left. We snatched the seats as soon as they got up.”
Bek and I both laugh, and I wad up a napkin to throw at Dylan. He bats it away, chuckling.
Ava leans forward. “Sam, you are never going to guess what happened.”
I cock my head and take in her excited posture. “Disney on Ice is coming to town?”
Ava’s eyes widen. “I wish! But no.”
“I give up. What?”
Our conversation pauses when the server shows up with a notepad. We each give our orders, and I give her a significant look that she knows means I get the check for all of us. Dylan is very difficult to pay for, so I’ve had to resort to trickery. As soon as the server leaves, Ava’s gaze sweeps the kids nearest us to see if anyone is listening and leans forward again.
“Brent Post texted me asking if you were okay.”
A thrill shoots down my spine and I straighten. “Really?”
Ava nods with a smirk on her face, like she knew he’d do it all along.
I haven’t even thought about him in more than a week, which is crazy in itself. “What did you tell him?”
“I totally played dumb at first and said, Sam? As in Samantha Jones? I wanted to pretend like I didn’t know anything about him.”
I snicker. “Quick thinking. Thanks.”
“Anyway, he explained that you had been stopping in the bookstore regularly for a while and that you stopped coming in and he just wanted to make sure nothing had happened to you.”
